Tempo-indicator for mechanical musical instruments.



G. H. BENT.

TEMPO INDICATOR FOR MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27, 1909 982,786, Patented Jan.31, 1911 ih'jl'iusses 11214 212912 5% am) m g vi/[151w Uillll some. -an1nnr orrio a GEUHG'E ltlf. BENT, tilt HINFl DALE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOIH, TL) GEORGE I. BENT COMPANY,

. tllli lJIE-JKICAGO, ILLINOIS), A CORPORATION OF IIiLINDISi 'lllrillllliO-ITJWIJIUELTOR FOR MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

'Qfitlb'lhth 4 n fiw n imfiwlfltwti llatented J an. 31,

" Application filed December 27, 1909. Serial No. 534,921.

To all whom it may concern:

it known that it, Gnonon H. BENJQQ citizen of. the United Eitates, residing zit Hinsdale, in. the county of Dupage and titate 5' of llllinois heme invented certain new and useful lln'iproveinents in Tempo-Indicators for biochemical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reter once being hadj therein tothe accompanying drawing. i. l i

This.invention" relates to improved dovices for varying and controlling thetiine or teinpoot the music produced by mechanical musical instruments in which the note k5 tud'inally traveling It is customary in mechanical instrulnents, Which town is here intended to include n'ieohanical player-51501 key-board niusical instruments either built into or sepamusic-sheet ate from the instrument itself; to provide means for modit'ying the ten'ipo by altering the speed at which the music-sheet is moved over the tracker-bar, such inennsbeing usu ally manually controlled by a lever extending to a convenient; point "for the hand of i the operator or playcir and provided with a pointer adapted to move over oradjacent the tempo-scale which indicates the time.

It is also customary to prcwide the inusio sheets used on such mechanical musical in strtuneute with syinl or indicating means extending; ii'lisequerui in the general direction of its length but deviating in zigzag or sinuous manner laterally from sideto side indicating the speed at which the sheet is to be moved over the tracl u", this usually being provided by a tempo-line as is now well known. I

My 1r :srnt 'iiwei'ltion unitcs with the traclmr Jill d terliprrpointer, at tei'nposcale or iiurhaftojr by which ,any composition may be corr ljy plu'ased by the player or opentor moving the ternpopoiuter to a marl: em'rcspourhng with the mark on the tempo-scale .or indicator indicated by the tempo-oi ...l 2M er-ban l' rill do ribe lcal embodiment of ed claims.

til-m up; l d in "1 it my invention,applied "\ianl: lii n; l. is a front rnecluuical musito illustrate my sounding devices are controlled by alon ggiv mention and then point: out its novel iicl'i illustrate a prac-v mounted in the usual manner upon the rolls or. spools 6 and 7, which are provided with suitable and well-known devices not hereinshown for winding the music sheet from'one spool to the other to draw it across the sur:

'face of the tracker-bar 8, which is provided male series of ducts connnunicating'by tubes 9 -Wltl1 the respective note-sounding devices oithe machine. The driving mechanism for themusic-sheet is usua1ly'pr0-- pelled by a motor operated'either by air nnderpressure, or by atmospheric pressureindilced 'bv exhausting the air through the motor, and these features form 110 part of my presentinvel'ltion and maybe provided in various forms they need not here be described or-shown. i

The music-sheet is provided with any suitable means or symbols extending in the general direction of its length but/deviating in zigzag or sinuous manner laterally from 'side vto side for the-purpose of indicating different times or tempos to be produced in playing; at clltl'erent intervals, and in the present exelupliticatlon the sheet bears the irregular lino ldwhich bends to the right or left as the music should be ill elerated or re tardcd for the purpose of indicating the time or tempo at which" the n'msic-shcet is to be inored over the traolnu'bar. The con troller by which these cfiectsare governed may be provided to re ulate the driving mechanism in any suitable manner, and for this purpose I have shown a tempo-scale 11, pointer 12 in front oi said scale, and tempo-lever 13 for moving the pointer over the scale, all arrai'igcd and cooperating in a manner now well lmown in the art for controlling the speed of the sheet-driving mechanism.

The music-sheet and rolls are arranged in asuitable chamber or box whose :t'ront is closed by a. sliding panel 14: composed in to cover the lateral area of play or movement of the sheets tempo-line or symbols at,

the'tracker-bar and converge at the other end toward the scale of the tempo-pointer.

To correctly phrase anycomposition marked with such tempo-line or equivalent symbols,

the operator moves the tempo pointer or lever to the mark on its scale to correspond with the mark orline on the tempo-indicator at which thetempo line enters the latter or atwhich it is visible at the traokc1,-bar.- The panel upon. which the tempo-indicator is preferably located is adapted to slide back and forth to open and close the box for the n'msic-rolls and sheet, and When it is in nor- -mal closed position the tempo-indicator is brought mtoproper relation with respect to the tempo-pointer and the tempo-line or equivalent markings at the tracker-bar.

'Ihe tempo-indicator may be employed to play .65 or 88 note music as desired; and it may be varied in form and embodiment in any suitable manner to indicate at the tempopointer the required speed of the musicsheet at the tracker-bar, without departing from the scope of my invention.

I cla1m: 1. I11 a mechanical musical instrument, a

tracker' bar, a music sheet having expres stem-markings thereon, means for regulating the speed of the music-sheet over the tracker-bar and having a tempo-pointer, and

a tempo-indicator at the markings and the.

the required speed of the sheet at the tracker-bar.

3. In a mechanical musical instrument, a.

tracker-bar, a tempo scale, means for regulating the speed of a music-sheetover the tracker-bar and having a pointer for the tcmpo scale, and a panel movable over the bar and having a tempo-iudicator consisting of a series of lines extending over the area of the tcmpo-indica-ting means on the sheet at the tracker-liar and converging to the tempo-scale to imlicatc thcrcat the required t. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of a tracker-bar, a musicsheet having marked thereon symbols to indicate effects to be produced in playing, and a controller adjusted by the operator by which such effects are governed, a pointer on the controller, and a tempo-indicator at the bar and pointer cooperating with the latter.

5. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of a tracker-bar, a musicsheet having marked thereon a line which indicates the time to be followed in playing, a controller for regulating the speed of the sheet over the bar and having-a pointer, and a fixed tempo-indicator extending from the tempo line at the bar to the pointer, substantially as described.

(S. In a mechanical musical instrument, a tracker-bar, a perforated music-sheet having a tempo-line, tempo-controlling means to regulate the speed of the sheet over the tracker-bar and having a tem'po-scale and pointer, and a fixed tempo-indicator extending in fan-like form from the tracker-bar to the tempo-scale.

T. In a mechanical musical instrument, a chamber, a tracker-bar therein, a music-sheet ha ving a tempo-line, means to move the sheet over the trackerbar, a tempo scale and pointer, a sliding glass panel forming a 010- sure for the chamber, means on the panel at the bar and pointer to indicate at the pointer the variations in time shown at the bar by the tempo-line.

8.111 a mechanical musical instrument, a chamber, a tracker-bar therein, means to move over the tracker-bar a music sheet having a tempo-line,'a tempo-scale and pointer, a sliding glass panel forming a closure for the chamber, and a plurality of lines on the panel extending from-the bar to the pointer.

t). In mechanical musical instruments, the combination with a perforated music-sheet bearing suitable marks indicating effects to be produced in playing, and a controller by which said e tfects are governed, of an indicator at and extending across the path of the marks andat the controller to indicate at the latter-the points at Which the operator sets .the latter to obtain thevmusieal effects represented by the marks on the sheet.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEOl t-GE H. BENT, \V i tncssos Nov M. Gimme, .li h'l cltmnnrrs. 

